Staying CONUS while applying and other process questions

[DedEye]

Hey everyone,
Been a long while since I’ve been on here, though I’ve been reading periodically and watching hopefuls get picked up and make the big trip down. I made my own trip down to the ice on a ship to set foot on the seventh continent, but I still want to get down there to work.

I’m still in the military for another couple years and am planning my future attempts to get hired. I realize most questions about getting hired can’t be answered since they require unreasonable amounts of speculation, but I have a couple questions about the process.

1) Do employee referrals help your application?

2) Does veteran status help?

3) For what portions of the application process must you remain CONUS? I’ll have a few months between when I get out of the military and the start of the summer/winfly seasons, so I plan to travel outside the country. If I am selected, can I complete the medical assessment at a local doctor, or does a company physician have to do the physical?

If I clear medically, do I need to stay in the US for any training before departure? Is it possible to depart directly from Christchurch if I’m already in New Zealand (is the NSF support station still even IN Christchurch)?

Thanks all.

[Sciencetech]

Good questions. Keep in mind that the USAP currently has a lot of different subcontractors and the answers may be different between them. It may also depend on your job, and even who your supervisor is. I’ll give you my best-guesses; maybe others can chime in here too.

@DedEye wrote:

1) Do employee referrals help your application?

Sometimes. It seems to be most effective when the employee (who is giving the referral) knows or works for the manager who is doing the hiring.

To put it another way, I could probably help someone get a lab job because I work in that area. But I wouldn’t attempt to be a reference for, say, a mechanic or firefighter.

@DedEye wrote:

2) Does veteran status help?

Probably. Everything else being equal, I think it would give you a leg up — especially in the logistics department. In science, not so much.

@DedEye wrote:

3) For what portions of the application process must you remain CONUS?

The application and PQ process can be completed almost anywhere; many people do it in NZ.

@DedEye wrote:

If I clear medically, do I need to stay in the US for any training before departure?

Depends on the position.

@DedEye wrote:

Is it possible to depart directly from Christchurch if I’m already in New Zealand (is the NSF support station still even IN Christchurch)?

Yup, they’re still in Chch. And yeah, I would think you could deploy from there.

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